Tag Archives: Katine

Ugandan journalist Richard Kavuma says the challenge for development journalism is to write stories about people, not about numbers, reports Laura Oliver on journalism.co.uk:

“The tone is changing and becoming more people-centred [in the Ugandan media]. For example, it’s not reporting about mortality, but writing about a woman who is losing her life for becoming pregnant. I can’t claim the credit, but I am part of a new movement, which is putting people at the centre of development reporting.”

He was speaking at an event in London hosted by the media forum POLIS to discuss The Guardian‘s project in the Ugandan village of Katine. Kavuma also highlighted some of the problems encountered by journalists working in developmental contexts where donors expect to hear feel-good stories about the work they are supporting rather than critical analyses of the situation. Read a full report of the event here. For background, see my earlier post here.